The Ill–Conceived Question
by Zissou Intern
Summary: Edward poses a question to Bella: if she could be with any other member of his family, who would she choose? He may not be ready for her answer.


A/N: Hello! If this looks familiar, it's because I deleted it a while back, only now I have decided to repost it. Please enjoy!

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"Edward," Bella began tentatively. The boy shifted closer, his marble arm wrapped around the back of the couch. The brush of his skin caused the fine hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end, and a pleasurable chill to slide up and down her spine like accomplished fingers on piano keys. Bella shivered.

"What is it… Bella?"

He was being mischievous, that much was clear. When he spoke, his sweet breath gusted across her cheek, and her body succumbed to further tremors. Having been in such close proximity for months, she was surprised she hadn't shivered herself to pieces at this point.

"Uh…" she attempted, unintelligibly. Edward laughed, fitting his perfect nose against the curve of her jaw. His breath, newly introduced to the sensitive spot beneath her ear, wasn't helping matters. The television continued to flicker in the dimly lit room of the Cullens' den, their movie all but forgotten.

"I was just… _wondering_… well, I wanted to ask you a question."

"What sort of question?" he whispered. She frowned as she struggled to concentrate.

"Well, hypothetical, I guess."

"You know your questions always amuse me."

Bella huffed, aware that she was being condescended, and Edward drew away, smiling crookedly. "Ask away."

"Promise you won't get defensive…?"

"You underestimate me."

"I don't think so," she muttered. Then, before she lost her nerve, "If you could be with _anyone_ — I mean, anyone in your family — who would you choose?"

"I'm with my family all the time," he answered easily, his tone implying that it was not exactly an ideal situation. Bella sighed in frustration, blowing several strands of hair out of her eyes. Edward caught a strand between his fingers, wending it between his digits in a way she found to be very distracting.

"I mean _romantically_. Oh, you know what I mean!"

"Of course I know what you mean, and it's a very silly question. Not a question, even, because there isn't even the remote possibility of an answer. Why?" he laughed. "Who would _you_ choose?"

Bella was silent. Her sudden refusal to talk must have seemed like an act of self-preservation, because Edward suddenly trained himself forward, his tawny eyes narrowing.

"Don't tell me there's a _candidate_?"

Bella shook her head in denial, lips pressed together tightly. She could see his smile slowly reforming itself into a scowl.

"Tell me." He had already dispensed with pretense, because he wasn't exactly trying to coax it out of her. "Tell me who."

Again, she merely shook her head. With a long-suffering sigh, the coaxing began.

"Bella," Edward began in a low, velvet voice. "You know I won't be angry."

"You will," she croaked, wondering where all her bones had gone. The sudden heat between them seemed to have caused them to retreat, because she felt nothing holding her together save the pinning gaze of a vampire.

"You know it drives me _crazy_ when you don't follow through with a thought."

"You drive me crazy all the time," she responded breathlessly. As if suddenly aware that his technique was having the opposite effect, Edward resumed his interrogation.

"Please tell me, Bella. I'm dying to know."

_You're already dead_, she thought darkly. Obviously, he wasn't about to let this go, and she smartly realized that it would be better to just get it over with and deal with the consequences than to hedge and hope he would drop it.

"Fine. All right. _Hypothetically_ speaking, if this was some insane _other_ universe where no Edward existed, I would choose — "

"Edward," a succulent tenor voice interrupted from the doorway. Bella jumped, startled, while Edward merely sat immovably.

"What is it, Carlisle?" He sounded irritated with the interruption.

"I was going to inquire if I could get you anything," the doctor offered. "I'm taking the car into town — "

The rest of his sentence was lost to the two on the couch, because Edward was suddenly staring at her, disbelieving, and Bella — Bella, well, had a very significant look on her face, somewhere between terror and sudden, inexplicable bashfulness. At least, she had hoped Edward would find it inexplicable — but even though he couldn't read her mind, he could certainly very easily read the language of her body.

"_Him_?" he demanded, his voice rising an octave or two. Carlisle remained in the doorway, looking confused by the proceedings. Bella, for her part, was looking wildly around the room, determined not to meet anyone's gaze.

"I'm sorry, have I done something wrong?" Carlisle inquired.

"_Bella_ has just admitted to me that she is attracted to another member of this family," Edward said severely. "And _he_ happens to be standing in this room."

Bella was aghast that he should so readily admit her secret, but he was probably still in shock. Carlisle's luminous face registered surprise; then, after a second or two, his expression turned to one of fondness. Bella buried her face in her hands.

"Well, Bella, if it makes you feel any better — "

"It wouldn't!" Edward interrupted archly, cowing his father into silence, although the elder retreated to his study with a smile on his face. Bella shrank back against the couch as Edward sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. She didn't dare ask what thought he had read going through Carlisle's head — and she was thankful that he couldn't read her own mind to discover her curiosity — although the light blush that currently suffused her cheeks was probably a dead giveaway of her particular interest. When she gathered the courage necessary to glance back up at him, Edward was staring at her with a look of revulsion comparable to the one he had worn the day they had first met.

"What?" she demanded automatically, his look increasing her self-consciousness tenfold.

"Oh, nothing, _Bella_. It's just that you're blushing on account of something my _father_ said — or rather, _didn't_ say."

"He's not that much older than you," Bella grumbled. "Or me, for that matter. I'm closer to his age physically than _you_ are."

"That isn't the issue here — "

"Well? Who would _you_ be with?"

"I wouldn't," he said rigidly.

"Please don't fault me for this one, Edward. Carlisle is like… he's like this movie star. And he has always been so kind to me."

"It's what he excels at."

"Well, what's _wrong_ with that?" she demanded defensively. "Maybe you shouldn't have asked me if you couldn't handle my answer. I'm only _human_."

He was still massaging his forehead. After a moment, Bella commandeered the cold hand, lacing it with her own as she tucked herself against his side. Despite his foul mood, Edward didn't object to her attempts at reparation.

"What was he going to say?" she asked curiously.

"Something to make you feel less embarrassed," Edward quipped.

"I don't think that's possible at this point," she grumbled. "You still haven't told me yours."

Edward was silent. The television screen flickered across their faces, but they had both lost their place in the movie a long time ago. As the villain plotted, the lovers embraced and intertwined, Bella felt her eyelids grow increasingly heavy until she could no longer struggle to hold them open, and allowed them to fall shut in defeat. She hadn't realized how tense she had been until she started to relax, and Edward pulled her closer against him. Bella pillowed her head in his stone chest and allowed herself to drift off, content that she had at least been somewhat forgiven for her admission.

Just as she was beginning to lose consciousness, she thought she felt Edward shift a little, and a voice very close to her ear whisper,

"Alice."


End file.
